Haunting, ethereal and undoubtedly the Italian goth metal band
With the vocals of Andrea Ferro and Cristina Scabbia, it is no surprise that Black Anima is full of beautiful male/female contrasts that Lacuna Coil is known for. Ever since their seventh studio album, Dark Adrenaline (2012), the band has been on an upward path and they continue to make staples in their 25-year-long career. Black Anima, their ninth full-length studio album, is certainly no epilogue of Lacuna Coil’s path. Even the new drummer, Richard Meiz, rises to the energy of the other members.
Between the first song (“Anima Nera”) and the second (“Sword of Anger”), people are hit hard with that vocal contrast because “Anima Nera” contains only vocals from Scabbia and “Sword of Anger” immediately begins with Ferro’s screaming voice. So, the album starts off with Scabbia’s hypnotic-like chanting that gets cut with the first lyric yelled in the second track. But, in the second track itself, the contrasting dynamic between the two works seamlessly and they create beautiful harmonies together.
Throughout the years, a lot of the attention that the band has gained has been on this vocal factor, but they have stepped up their instrumentation with their recent releases. In particular, “Reckless” and “Under the Surface” contain sick guitar solos that make both of these songs stand out.
In the case of “Reckless,” Scabbia’s voice and Diego “Didi” Cavalotti’s guitar skills are enchanting in their own way. People are first captured by the catchy chorus that will have people rocking their head and then they get chills from the thrilling solo that appears near the end of the track.
“Veneficium” is another standout just in terms of it being the only song that has part of it sung in Italian. With Scabbia’s vocals sounding so ethereal, it takes a second to realize that she’s not singing in English. Knowing their routes, this isn’t surprising but it still manages to surprise.
Overall, Black Anima is another step up for Lacuna Coil. Arguably one of their best albums, the Italian goth metal band utilizes their experience of harmonizing vocals and making the contrast work and has elevated their instrumentation to match. This album is definitely not the end of the road for this band and fans should highly anticipate what will come next.
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